Born January 3, 1934, in Los Angeles, California, Carla Anderson Hills received her B.A. from Stanford University after studying in England at Oxford University. In 1958, she earned an LL.B. from Yale University Law School. Admitted to the California State Bar in 1959, Hills served as assistant United States attorney general in California from 1959 to 1961. 

She was a partner in the law firm of Munger, Tolles, Hill, and Rickershauser from 1962 to 1974, and was adjunct professor at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1972. In 1974, Hills headed the civil division at the Justice Department, the first woman to serve as assistant attorney general in 40 years. She co-authored books on federal practice and antitrust law and was former president of the Women's Lawyers Association.

On March 10, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford appointed Carla Hills as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), making her the third woman in the nation's history to hold a cabinet rank. She later served in the administration of George H. W. Bush, as the U.S. Trade Representative. Following her government service, Hills became chair and CEO of Hills and Company International Consultants.