Ward and Smith is pleased to announce that attorney Christina Cress has been re-appointed to serve another three-year term on the Utilities Law Specialization Committee of the North Carolina State Bar.
Christina leads Ward and Smith’s Energy + Utilities Practice and is herself a North Carolina Board Certified Specialist in Utilities Law, the very designation the committee helps oversee. Her practice centers on regulatory compliance, energy policy, and complex utility matters, including electric and natural gas rate cases and resource planning dockets. Before joining Ward and Smith, she served as a staff attorney at the North Carolina Utilities Commission, where she helped implement legislatively created state programs and gained firsthand experience with the regulatory processes that shape energy law in North Carolina.
The Specialization Committee plays an important role in shaping the state’s utilities law certification program, helping develop and maintain the criteria and examinations that attorneys must meet to earn Board Certification as a Utilities Law Specialist.
Earning that designation is no small feat. Applicants must demonstrate a substantial commitment to utilities law practice, averaging at least 500 hours per year over the five years preceding their application, with no single year falling below 400 hours. They must also complete at least 36 hours of continuing legal education in utilities law and related fields over the three years prior to applying, with at least half of those hours focused specifically on utilities law. Applicants are further required to provide ten references and pass a six-hour examination.
Christina is currently serving her second term on the committee. She has been recognized as a “Rising Star” in utilities by North Carolina Super Lawyers every year from 2020 through 2026 and was named “Up and Coming” in Energy & Natural Resources by Chambers USA in 2025.