Kara Borden received her B.A., cum laude, in history, Spanish with honors, and political science from the University of Oregon in 2005. She received her J.D., Order of the Coif, from UCLA School of Law in 2010, where she was a member of the UCLA Law Review.
From 2005 – 2007 Borden served as a Debate Instructor on the adjunct faculty of the University of Puget Sound, Department of Communication Studies in Tacoma, Washington. While attending UCLA School of Law she worked as a Research Assistant for the Study on Criminal Justice in Indian Country. Borden is currently an associate with Quinn Emanuel Trial Lawyers in Los Angeles.