Robert L. Brownell received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. He was an associate of Weinberg & Green in Baltimore, Maryland, until 1973 when he joined Wheeler & Korpeck in Silver Spring.

Admitted to practice in Maryland, he has specialized in real estate matters with particular emphasis on the representation of builders and developers in the acquisition, financing, development and sale of commercial and residential properties.