The Case for Computers, produced in 1984, is a film about IBM Information System for Attorneys, its System/36 hardware and software and how it is changing the lives of lawyers in large law firms. It’s a story about diskettes, peripherals and programs, and includes shots of various IBM computers including the famed Personal Computer (IBM 5150). The IBM Information System for Attorneys was a set of 19 application programs which typically executed on the IBM System/36 in an on-line and interactive environment. The applications were a financial management system and client financial management system, and cost about $15,000 per license. According to literature published by IBM, the system “enables the lawyer to keep track of the work performed and disbursement made for clients, to bill clients on a timely basis and to collect the accounts promptly. As a result, write-offs and the age of receivables can be reduced, therefore cash flow and income can be increased. System addresses Clients and Matters; Time; Client/Matter Disbursements; Client/Matter Billing Preparation, Accounts Receivable; Trust Accounting Transactions; Client/Matter Inquiry; Client Management Reports. The system prepares a draft bill from which a final bill can be typed onto the firm’s letterhead or statement paper. As an option, the firm can elect to use Client Statements which automatically prints final bills on the System/36 or on a Displaywriter. The IBM System/36 (S/36) was a midrange computer marketed by IBM from 1983 to 2000 – a multi-user, multi-tasking successor to the System/34. It was primarily programmed in the RPG II language. It had many mainframe features such as programmable job queues and scheduling priority levels.
In the film, we first meet John Klein, a lawyer, as he exits his Jeep, 1:00. John takes some firewood out of his truck and invites the audience into his rustic home 1:10. The purpose of the scene is to show how a computer in the woods can allow somebody to practice law back in the city 1:34. Husband-and-wife stand by the computer. Picture of downtown Chicago 1:50. The law offices of Brinks, Gilson & Lione – This is the new name for the actual Law Firm used in the film. I couldn’t find the old one, mentioned in the movie (we are missing the first partner…) 2:00. Men talk at a boardroom table in law offices 2:20. The lawyers use an IBM system in their offices called ISA – Information Systems for Attorneys. With IBM personal computers they can get at their data quickly and easily without the cumbersome use of paper 2:46. A man talks from behind his desk about computers and its photographic memory capabilities 3:13. A woman inputs files into an IBM computer 3:45. Rita Stark walks into her law office 4:48. Men walk into the offices of Levin, Ginsburg and Novoseletsky 5:24. They use a state-of-the-art IBM 36 computer. Men talk from behind the desk about their IBM computer systems 5:50. A woman looks up files for another woman 6:25. Oliver Frascona is piloting a plane 6:41. He addresses the camera. Frascona, Macaw and Joiner. Boulder, Colorado. Mrs. Frascona also uses IBM computers for her business, 7:50. Texas oil wells 8:15. ISA systems are used for billing and accounting for several law firms. Scott, Douglas and Lewton. ISA manages their oil clients for both billing and information 9:50. ISA helped fix some of their expense problems with their clients 10:43. Richard Herman from Wilmington, Delaware talks about IBM and how it is helping his legal business 11:26. Herman sits in his library and talks about cost savings with IBM computers and ISA database systems, 12:12. ISA System is used for time and billing, 12:45. John Klein walks in the woods with his family, 13:43. Presented by IBM Corporation. Produced by image Associates.
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