First of all, BE NICE to your old emplyer -- at least don't burn bridges if you know what I mean. If you do it in a nice way, they could just let you go. Or they could really go after you. Such as they could claim financial loss because you did not let them know your intention in advance. They could also claim loss because you looked at your boss' letter which contains "commercial/intelectual secrets", etc. Or they could charge you violated your boss' right by openning his/her file.